Secretive
by unishiki
Summary: A fic where Hinata becomes a victim of bullying and hides it from everyone, even Kageyama. But when the stoic boy grows suspicious and comes closer to finding out the truth, he'll also find their friendly relationship rapidly changing into something more…warning: if physical harassment and related topics are sensitive subjects to you, try a bagel au to pass the time…it's art ok
1. Secretive

It seemed like a normal morning: Hinata got out of bed, lazily dragging his almost dead weight to the shower. After being enveloped in comfortingly warm water and almost slipping twice, he threw on whatever seemed suitable and left for a day full of bickering, jokes, and classes. But on his way to that expected usual, it was anything but that.

Kageyama had slept in, leaving his friend to walk alone to school. He had only a few minutes left until he arrived on campus when Hinata heard footsteps behind him. Not thinking much of it, he quickly glanced back in pure curiosity. Admittedly, nothing seemed particularly unusual, just an every-day group of students. What he didn't seem to notice, however, was the malicious look the boys gave the smaller one in front of them. They began walking faster, with the intent of getting closer to Hinata.

About 30 seconds went by of mysterious silence. After all, shouldn't they be talking to one another back there? Then suddenly, gone as quickly as it came, were the first words.

"Hey dumbass, if you're gonna walk so slowly, at least get out of our way," was the comment made by a tall, intimidating guy with a mean look. He had dark brown hair that contrasted with the light green of his eyes. Speaking of, they stayed in a constant glare, and Hinata wasn't sure if he just looked like that normally or not. But nonetheless, the guy was nowhere near scrawny. Yet not some crazy bodybuilder (which was an oddly nerving medium).

Hinata was shocked for a second, not having encountered genuine words like that in a long time. He stood in a moment of disbelief, turning to meet the speaker's gaze.

With a quick rehabilitation, he exclaimed, "That's not a very nice way to ask, you know!"

Then came the rude decision for the guy to speak up again, "What are you, stupid? I said m-o-v-e, before I make you."

He enunciated the letters as if Hinata was a child; a mere kid that was too stupid to understand words. Once again taken aback, he was about to once again respond before being abruptly cut off by another student in the group.

"Oh man, get a load of this. He thinks he's tough or something, trying to stand up to Yuuma," the boy said with a smirk, "What a _shrimp_."

The first spoken guy, apparently named Yuuma, didn't say another word before pushing past a confused Hinata, bringing his squad of complete jerks trailing behind him like ducks.

The encounter was so fast that it left the ginger boy wide-eyed, contemplating the situation. He never understood how people could sound so hateful towards a person they've never seen, but yet perfectly understood how it felt to be on the receiving end of it.

It wasn't new to the short boy; it's just that he hadn't experienced being teased (and **not** in a fluffy-adorable way) in a long time. His guess was that they were new, they had to be! He'd never seen them around before.

Hinata distractedly got through practice, muttering "sorry" countless times when he messed up. Luckily, he wasn't physically harmed, just a little put-off, per say.

The rest of the day went smoothly, for he didn't twice see Yuuma or his friends…but he did see them once.

It wasn't vicious or anything, they didn't even talk to him considering Kageyama was stuck to his side. But something about the wicked smirk he gave Hinata sparked nervousness inside of him. It was like he formed a new hobby to shoot the boy in the back.

He had practically forgotten all about it until that evening when he received a text from the one person that could drive them off for him…

Apparently, Kageyama was _moving_.

It's not like he was being hauled to Russia or something, just a different area in town because his parents wanted a change in location. But as cliché as it might sound, he happened to be moving to an area where walking to school with Hinata would be practically impossible.

Sure, Hinata was upset that he'd have to try and stand up for himself, but walking to school with the taller boy was one of the best parts of his day. There are few moments where they're not right next to each other, yet being able to wander down the street alone, just talking seemed…special. So while he never in his right mind would speak of it, Hinata, and I quote, "Kinda-sorta-maybe- **really** likes Kageyama." The usually loud boy was petrified of any response he'd get out of talking to someone about it. If he were to choose, though, Suga would be his best bet. After all, he and Daichi have been openly dating for a while now, and it's not like he bites or anything. Now don't get me wrong, Tsukkishima and Yamaguchi have been caught multiple times kissing in the locker room, going on what could only be dates, and plenty more. Except they don't seem as calm as Suga, or understanding either. But Asahi and Noya are together too…no, Asahi is too glassy to not burst into tension…and Noya might take it a little overboard…

The takeaway is, Hinata has been thinking of confronting Suga about it in order to ask for advice. It's just that he hasn't exactly built up the nerve to even do that, let alone confess to Kageyama like an idiot.

Hinata rolled over into his pillow sulkily, mumbling, "Just my luck," as he mockingly tried to suffocate himself in the fabric of his bed. After what seemed like hours (but was actually just a few minutes) of re-assuring himself, Hinata typed back an optimistic reply to "bakageyama" before drowning out his worries in homemade dinner…courtesy of Mrs. Shouyou, of course.

But boy oh boy, was he in for something much more serious than a few harsh words.


	2. Hidden Problems

Hinata sat up in bed, thoughts racing through his mind. It was morning, a few days after he had experienced his first encounter with Yuuma. Thankfully, Kageyama didn't just bail right away, as he and his household still had to move all their belongings to the new place. This resulted in the group of boys leaving him alone grudgingly, not wanting to pick a fight with someone so cold and serious. But while it was great for those couple days (as Hinata silently rubbed it in their faces that he had an intimidating friend), the time came where Kageyama wasn't so near anymore.

It's not like Hinata was sleep-deprived from terror, he just was nervous at that point. With a purposely slow stride, he stood out of the comfort of his sheets and began preparing for whatever the day might throw at him. But in the midst of this, he started imagining the frustration they might take out on him for having been driven away by Kageyama's appearance. He barely touched his breakfast and anxiously awaited his departure with shaky limbs. Inevitably, the point where he had to leave came. With a backpack now in hand, Hinata bent down and sighed into his knees before reluctantly stepping out of his safe home.

Things were fine most of the way, as he had learned that the group usually only appeared at least halfway through his walk. What seemed like thousands of scenarios played out in Hinata's head, in some he was beaten through the pavement, and in others, he fought off the group with the physical strength he definitely **didn't** have.

Like Deja vú, the ginger boy heard pairs of footsteps behind him. This time, he picked up the pace without even looking to see who it was as he tried to avoid confrontation. Hinata didn't know why his heartbeat was speeding up with his pace, just that it was happening.

 _"It's not as if they're going to kill me, why am I afraid of their words?"_ He thought as the group gained a few feet on his speed-walk. Something was off, and he could tell but couldn't put his finger on **why**. Realistically, however, he didn't want to find out.

"Oi, idiot," said an amused Yuuma as Hinata stopped in his tracks.

Said boy tried to be confident, tried to be courageous as he quickly responded, "What do you want?" He held a normal tone, one that could be interpreted more than one way.

Yuuma came way closer, looming over the smaller boy while two others stood beside him.

He pulled a mean grin and said with a sarcastic tone, "Why did you ignore us with your friend here? We only wanted to say _hi_." Yuuma ended his sentence with a forceful push that sent Hinata falling to the pavement. He hit his elbow on an offset chunk of cement as he hit the ground hard. The injured boy only flinched, though, as he was too concentrated on the people in front of him to fully register the pain. Hinata sat up, cradling his arm while Yuuma further advanced closer to him, glaring down like he could kill with looks.

"You bug me, _Hinata,"_ he said with a now serious face. Hinata's breath hitched for a second when his name was referenced, mainly because he simply wasn't expecting it. Yuuma must've overheard his name being said by Kageyama, how else could he know it? Hinata averted his gaze before yelling back a response to his attackers.

"What the hell, are you crazy?! You don't even know me, you jerk!"

Yuuma looked surprised for a second; obviously not used to being responded to so commonly. But he then chuckled, as if a dog had just tried to walk on two legs. Both of them knew Hinata couldn't do anything to fight them off if they got violent, except for maybe tell someone…

As the thought came to Yuuma's mind, you could see his jaw clench and his eyes widen just a little. With no hesitation, he stared down a now kneeling Hinata and snapped with a warning tone, "First off, I don't give a shit how much you whine at me, I'll do whatever I damn want. Second, if you tell **anybody** about this, I swear to god I'll make your life miserable, you little imp. So just keep your mouth shut, got it?!"

Hinata gaped at the sheer resentment in his voice, and the terror it put in his gut. So with newly scared eyes and a pained elbow, he gave a small nod before being grazed by legs that bumped him as the group walked past.

By the time he had reached school, Hinata's arm was burning with an intense ache. He trudged into class with a worn-out look, not having time to treat the injury.

Kageyama and Hinata had many classes together, which constantly paved the way for them to get to know each other even more than they already did. The taller of the two always knows when something was off and vice-versa, making them understanding towards one another like nobody else is. So while it may seem like Kageyama is some cold-hearted jerk, he cares for Hinata and would stand up for him…

Which is exactly why the latter had to be extremely careful with what he let on. If this was going to stay under wraps, then Hinata knew that he better not let a single hint reach his friend, or anybody really.

But fortunately or not (depending on how you look at it), the boy is a ridiculously bad actor, making it a piece of cake to see through any lie presented by him.

That being said, Kageyama could tell something was wrong from the start. The friend he unknowingly protects so consistently didn't sound as cheerful as usual, not only bringing _his_ mood down but also taking a toll on Hinata.

He already couldn't stand it. Despite clearly being in a depressed mood, however, Hinata plastered on a way-too-enthusiastic smile and dragged out certain words like he was the happiest stoner in the world.

"Heeeeey, Kageyama!" Came the greeting from a surprisingly quiet voice. It sounded shaky, like he'd been jump-scared just a second ago. But what made it even stranger was the contrast between different aspects he held. Kageyama was concerned for Hinata, as anybody in their right mind would be. His smile was straight from an infomercial, yet the sounds that came out of it sounded tired and sad. His features were raised in false excitement, yet the sclera's of his eyes were tinted red, and the emotion in his iris's seemed to frown for him. It made Kageyama knit his eyebrows in confusion, wanting to know what had happened.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" Were the only words needed to freeze said boy, his fake smile faltering if even for a second before returning to its temporary state of imitated cheer.

Hinata, with a wavering voice, responded with, "N-nothing! What are you talking about, Bakageyama?"

Kageyama opened his mouth to speak when the teacher walked through the door, silencing everyone and beginning the lesson.

Each class became a cycle that day. Hinata would act all weird, avoiding the inquiring boy's questions and relying on the power of stalling to get him through.

After repeating the same thing, Kageyama gritted his teeth and awaited practice, where some schoolteacher couldn't interrupt his interrogation. _"You can bet your ass I'm going to find out what your problem is, Hinata."_

Finally, like the morning sun after a rainy night, after-school practice came along. Kageyama wasted no time, hoarding the smaller boy as if he'd never get this chance again. From walking in the doors to changing, everything was about him asking what was wrong, to which he was replied with things like "I have no clue what you're talking about" or "what do you mean".

But the entire situation changed when Kageyama got a glimpse of the first injury.

Hinata had unbuttoned the shirt to his school uniform when an audible wince came from his mouth. His elbow had started bleeding again, due to the material rubbing up against it when it was slid off. Kageyama insisted he treat it when Tsukkishima was the one to provide the first aid. Not only did he not trust Tsukkishima with anything except a volleyball, but it would give him the opportunity to be alone with Hinata and ask more questions; ones that he might not have been comfortable answering to anyone else.

Kageyama pulled a concerned face, something that was different from his usual stoic expression. With a calm tone, he asked…

"Hinata, **tell me what happened**."

The seriousness in his voice made it nearly impossible to not answer. So instead, Hinata lied through his teeth and answered with, "Oh, I…uh, I tripped. That's all." He soon was casting his gaze downwards in partial shame from giving false information to someone who cared.

Kageyama so badly wanted to press the matter, tell him that he knows it's not what happened. But the defeated look in Hinata's eyes gave him the feeling that it wasn't the right time. So with that, he finished covering the scrape and told him to take it easy while walking into the active gym.

 _"Just let me help, dumbass."_


	3. Mini-Chapter: Kageyama's Feelings

Kageyama never really understood romance.

He always blew it off as unnecessary and time-consuming. After all, couldn't the moments wasted on love be used to practice volleyball? It didn't seem reasonable to Kageyama, and it's not like he ever held affection for people anyway. There simply was no point in bothering with it.

But then again, he hadn't gotten to know Hinata Shouyou.

They were rivals, and to some extent, still are. So when Kageyama pinpointed his feelings for the short boy as a "crush", he was completely baffled. It wasn't at all because of their genders, considering his entire team, who's like _family_ , are all gay (if we're being blunt here). The problem was that, as Kageyama thought, Hinata was the human incarnate of everything he despised.

The boy was loud, way-too-energetic, opinionated, persistent, **annoying** , and his orange hair was so bright that it practically offended Kageyama. He didn't believe in the whole "opposites attract" thing because it seemed entirely ridiculous, like the stupid myth it is.

But despite all this, Kageyama often found himself staring for a little too long, or subconsciously admiring everything about Hinata, and so on. Part of that list was instinctively standing up for Hinata, and subtly protecting him from any judging opponents that tried to mess with him. The question was why does he do that? Why does he like him?

 _"_ _Probably because you balance each other out; your personalities complement one another, dumbass. Not to mention he's pretty cute-"_

 **Stop**. "What am I thinking," whispered a confused Kageyama, "…I hate liking somebody."

So while he had come to accept it, there was always a constant war between his thoughts. Some suggested that Hinata didn't feel the same way (which is obviously wrong, just saying), and others provided weak hope that maybe…just _maybe_ …Hinata liked him back.

Either way, Kageyama was far too embarrassed about it to ask anyone for advice. But then again, he knew that if he was going to progress with this fairly new feeling, then he was eventually going to have to question _how_.

Much like the subject of his worries, Kageyama decided to think about approaching Suga with the idea. He seemed the most caring and gentle, anyway, and definitely wouldn't ridicule him (not like anybody else would, though).

Yet the concept was still fresh in his mind, and it was doubtful that he would confront people about it without some **serious** self-reassurance. But for the record, Kageyama _definitely_ had a sexuality crisis coming his way.


End file.
